DEPUTY Speaker Jay Khonghun of Zambales on Sunday slammed as baseless and irresponsible social media claims that a “presidential son” was harassed along the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), and called for an immediate stop to the spread of disinformation surrounding the alleged incident.
Khonghun said circulating such claims without verification only spreads alarm and misinformation.
“Kung wala namang nangyari at malinaw na itinanggi na ng Malacañang, tigilan na natin ang pagpapakalat ng fake news. Ang ganitong klaseng haka-haka ay nakakasira at nagdudulot lang ng kalituhan sa publiko,” Khonghun said.
Malacañang denied the reported road harassment, with Presidential Communications Secretary Dave Gomez saying in a Viber message to reporters Saturday night that no incident involving any presidential son took place.
Social media posts claimed that shortly after 7 p.m. Saturday, a three-vehicle motorcade blocked the vehicle carrying the presidential son along NLEX, and about 15 men from Bulacan-registered vehicles later confronted the convoy after it allegedly overtook cars occupying all three lanes.
Khonghun described the fabrication or amplification of false incidents involving members of the First Family as “dangerous and irresponsible.”
“Hindi biro ang gumawa o magpakalat ng ganitong istorya. It undermines public trust and diverts attention from real issues that deserve serious discussion,” Khonghun said.
He stressed that the national conversation must be anchored on verified facts.
“In an age where information travels fast, verification is more important than sensationalism. We must not allow rumors to dictate the national conversation,” Khonghun said.
He warned that unchecked disinformation weakens democratic discourse.
“If we allow this kind of misinformation to go unchecked, deception becomes normalized. That erodes the very foundations of informed democratic discourse,” Khonghun said.
Khonghun urged netizens to rely on official sources and exercise responsibility online.
“Simple lang po ang pakiusap namin: verify before you share. Huwag maging instrumento ng kasinungalingan,” Khonghun said.
metrosundaily
